Tag: Cancer Support

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Soul Box Project and Community Partners

If you could save a life by folding two pieces of paper, would you?

 

Over 70,000 people are killed or injured by gunfire in the U.S. every year. Suicides account for over half of those deaths.* How do we put meaning to those numbers, the individual lives torn apart by gunfire? Statistics can tell us facts, bu they do not reveal the pain. How do we respond?

 

Give yourself an hour to do something beautiful. Something creative. Something caring. Bring your latest Soul Boxes to show. Newcomers and experienced Soul Box-makers are welcome!

 

Click here to read Let Your Voice Be Heard with the Soul Box Project press release, with words from our Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth. We are honored to be participating in this project in collaboration with a few of our community partners, including: 

  • Friends of Oxon Run
  • Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery
  • Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program
  • Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund
  • Southwest Neighborhood Assembly

Supplies Needed: 

  • at least two sheets of 8 1/2-inch square paper
  • any art supplies to adorn your Soul Box

Click to download Soul Box Folding Instructions.

Click the video below to watch “How do I fold a Soul Box?”

Upcoming Soul Box-Making sessions: 

  • Tuesday, May 18, 1-2pm ET
  • Thursday, July 15, 7-8pm ET
  • Saturday, September 18, 11am ET

Smith Center will be organizing drop-off days and times to collect your completed Soul Boxes, as a part of our goal to create 500 Soul Boxes to add to the display at the National Mall on October 16-17, 2021.

About Soul Box Project

The Soul Box Project collects and exhibits thousands of hand-folded origami boxes to raise awareness of the U.S. gunfire epidemic. Each Soul Box holds space for one life lost or injured by gun violence, defense, accident or suicide.

About Friends of Oxon Run

Our Mission is to address the needs of conservation of natural resources and preservation of green space in Ward 8.

The Friends of Oxon Run (FOR) was formed in 2017 through an agreement with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The Friends group is the keeper of the entire park. The 501c3 organization is also responsible for fundraising to help improve the park for programming and a bathroom facility among other things. FOR works collaboratively with representatives from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation in an effort to populate the calendar of activities, improve safety, preserve green space and make the park a viable destination.

About the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

Art has the rare ability to mend social, psychological, and physical ills by building community, inspiring change, and celebrating life. Founded in 2008, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, is a nonprofit arts space in Washington, DC. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting fine art that explores the innate connection between healing and creativity. Through a rotating exhibition schedule, the gallery features contemporary artists that address a diversity of significant themes, including spirituality, social change, multiculturalism, health, environmentalism, and community.

About Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program

The Artist in Residence Program (AIR) reflects the belief that the creative spirit can be found in all of us and can be especially helpful when the human spirit is in need. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (Smith Center) trains and supervises local visual, literary and performing artists who work directly with patients, caregivers and clinicians at INOVA Schar Cancer Institute (Inova Schar)

Artists in Residence guide arts-based activities that lead to stress reduction, self-awareness and self-expression. Patients and caregivers who participate often express great relief from pain and anxiety associated with their illness and are grateful for an opportunity to discover and explore what they can do. Heath care workers discover that creative self-expression helps to relieve stress that can lead to burnout and lack of resiliency.

About the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund

The Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund (TDJBCF) is a unique nonprofit grassroots organization whose mission is to advocate and improve the overall health and wellness for women and men through outreach, education and support. We promote early detection strategies for breast health and access to the best biomedical and evidence-based complementary therapies to reduce the incidences and mortality rates of breast cancer. Founded in September 2012 on the 60th Birthday Anniversary of Thelma D. Jones, the TDJBCF is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Our vision is to save lives and embrace and achieve a world community free of breast cancer. We plan to realize this vision with guiding principles of respect, collaboration, quality and patient-centered care, culturally sensitive approaches, and evidence-based strategies.

About the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly

Our Mission: To improve the quality of life for all residents; to open to every resident the wide cultural horizon of urban living; to help create rich and equal social, educational and economic opportunities for residents of Southwest DC; to assist in providing the opportunity for gainful employment for all; to promote development of the economic and aesthetic potential of Southwest; and preserve its diverse history. This mission shall be pursued without regard to the social, economic and racial barriers that have divided cities in the past.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Soul Box Project and Community Partners

If you could save a life by folding two pieces of paper, would you?

 

Over 70,000 people are killed or injured by gunfire in the U.S. every year. Suicides account for over half of those deaths.* How do we put meaning to those numbers, the individual lives torn apart by gunfire? Statistics can tell us facts, bu they do not reveal the pain. How do we respond?

 

Give yourself an hour to do something beautiful. Something creative. Something caring. Bring your latest Soul Boxes to show. Newcomers and experienced Soul Box-makers are welcome!

 

Click here to read Let Your Voice Be Heard with the Soul Box Project press release, with words from our Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth. We are honored to be participating in this project in collaboration with a few of our community partners, including: 

  • Friends of Oxon Run
  • Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery
  • Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program
  • Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund
  • Southwest Neighborhood Assembly Youth Activities Task Force

Supplies Needed: 

  • at least two sheets of 8 1/2-inch square paper
  • any art supplies to adorn your Soul Box

Click to download Soul Box Folding Instructions.

Click the video below to watch “How do I fold a Soul Box?”

Upcoming Soul Box-Making sessions: 

  • Thursday, July 15, 7-8pm ET
  • Saturday, September 18, 11am ET

Smith Center will be organizing drop-off days and times to collect your completed Soul Boxes, as a part of our goal to create 500 Soul Boxes to add to the display at the National Mall on October 16-17, 2021.

About Soul Box Project

The Soul Box Project collects and exhibits thousands of hand-folded origami boxes to raise awareness of the U.S. gunfire epidemic. Each Soul Box holds space for one life lost or injured by gun violence, defense, accident or suicide.

About Friends of Oxon Run

Our Mission is to address the needs of conservation of natural resources and preservation of green space in Ward 8.

The Friends of Oxon Run (FOR) was formed in 2017 through an agreement with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The Friends group is the keeper of the entire park. The 501c3 organization is also responsible for fundraising to help improve the park for programming and a bathroom facility among other things. FOR works collaboratively with representatives from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation in an effort to populate the calendar of activities, improve safety, preserve green space and make the park a viable destination.

About the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

Art has the rare ability to mend social, psychological, and physical ills by building community, inspiring change, and celebrating life. Founded in 2008, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, is a nonprofit arts space in Washington, DC. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting fine art that explores the innate connection between healing and creativity. Through a rotating exhibition schedule, the gallery features contemporary artists that address a diversity of significant themes, including spirituality, social change, multiculturalism, health, environmentalism, and community.

About Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program

The Artist in Residence Program (AIR) reflects the belief that the creative spirit can be found in all of us and can be especially helpful when the human spirit is in need. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (Smith Center) trains and supervises local visual, literary and performing artists who work directly with patients, caregivers and clinicians at INOVA Schar Cancer Institute (Inova Schar)

Artists in Residence guide arts-based activities that lead to stress reduction, self-awareness and self-expression. Patients and caregivers who participate often express great relief from pain and anxiety associated with their illness and are grateful for an opportunity to discover and explore what they can do. Heath care workers discover that creative self-expression helps to relieve stress that can lead to burnout and lack of resiliency.

About the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund

The Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund (TDJBCF) is a unique nonprofit grassroots organization whose mission is to advocate and improve the overall health and wellness for women and men through outreach, education and support. We promote early detection strategies for breast health and access to the best biomedical and evidence-based complementary therapies to reduce the incidences and mortality rates of breast cancer. Founded in September 2012 on the 60th Birthday Anniversary of Thelma D. Jones, the TDJBCF is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Our vision is to save lives and embrace and achieve a world community free of breast cancer. We plan to realize this vision with guiding principles of respect, collaboration, quality and patient-centered care, culturally sensitive approaches, and evidence-based strategies.

About the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly Youth Activities Task Force

Our Mission: To improve the quality of life for all residents; to open to every resident the wide cultural horizon of urban living; to help create rich and equal social, educational and economic opportunities for residents of Southwest DC; to assist in providing the opportunity for gainful employment for all; to promote development of the economic and aesthetic potential of Southwest; and preserve its diverse history. This mission shall be pursued without regard to the social, economic and racial barriers that have divided cities in the past.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Martina Sestakova

Enjoy a workshop of poetry reading and abstract painting with art educator Martina Sestakova. We will refer to Mary Oliver’s poems for inspiration for intuitive explorations in watercolors. May words be interpreted through colors, shapes, and textures? Join in and see.

No experience is needed: just your curious self!

Supplies:

  • 2 sheets of watercolor paper (9×12”)
  • 5-7 sheets of watercolor paper (5×7”)
  • 1 cup for water
  • 1 watercolor paints (trays or tubes)
  • 1 brush (or a variety)
  • 1 pencil
  • paper for notes

Suggested Donation: $10

About Martina Sestakova

Martina Sestakova (owner at RADOST) engages in textile design, painting, and art education. Martina creates scarves that invoke stories of life experiences. Her scarves have been featured on Voice of America and at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC). In her paintings on yupo, she communicates words through colors and shapes. Her artworks have been shown at the Adah Rose Gallery (MD) and Latela Curatorial (DC) and other art institutions. As an art educator, Martina offers workshops and brings creativity to the public and communities with limited access to the arts. Martina Sestakova resides in Kensington, MD.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author, Naturalist and Certified Forest Bathing Guide

Rock Creek Park by Susan Austin Roth, A Year in Rock Creek Park

Do you have your own special place in nature where you can go for comfort, joy, and healing?

 

A place where you can breathe deeply, soak up the scents of the earth, flowers and trees and watch the clouds undisturbed?

 

Join us for an hour-long session on finding and enjoying your own wild home, whether it be your backyard, a neighborhood park or garden, or a front porch or balcony.

 

Studies from around the world have shown the mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature—lower blood pressure, increased immunity to disease, quicker healing, improved mood and focus and better sleep among them. Melanie Choukas-Bradley will take you on a virtual journey through the beauty of our Washington, DC collective wild home as she guides you in establishing your own special place for health and well-being. She’ll also share some of the simple wisdom she learned on a forest bathing trip throughout Japan. Learn how a relationship with a special place can be as integral to your happiness as your relationships with loved ones.

About Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author, Naturalist and Certified Forest Bathing Guide

Melanie outdoors, by Ana Ka’ahanui/Capital Nature

 

Melanie Choukas-Bradley is a Naturalist, Certified Forest Bathing Guide and award-winning Author of seven nature books including The Joy of Forest Bathing; Resilience—Connecting with Nature in a Time of Crisis and A Year in Rock Creek Park. She leads nature and forest bathing walks for Smithsonian Associates, the US Botanic Garden, the Audubon Naturalist Society, the Nature Conservancy, Politics & Prose bookstore and many other organizations. Melanie is on the Advisory Board of Capital Nature.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Soul Box Project and Community Partners

If you could save a life by folding two pieces of paper, would you?

 

Over 70,000 people are killed or injured by gunfire in the U.S. every year. Suicides account for over half of those deaths.* How do we put meaning to those numbers, the individual lives torn apart by gunfire? Statistics can tell us facts, bu they do not reveal the pain. How do we respond?

 

Give yourself an hour to do something beautiful. Something creative. Something caring. Bring your latest Soul Boxes to show. Newcomers and experienced Soul Box-makers are welcome!

 

Click here to read Let Your Voice Be Heard with the Soul Box Project press release, with words from our Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth. We are honored to be participating in this project in collaboration with a few of our community partners, including: 

  • Friends of Oxon Run
  • Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery
  • Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program
  • Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund
  • Southwest Neighborhood Assembly

Supplies Needed: 

  • at least two sheets of 8 1/2-inch square paper
  • any art supplies to adorn your Soul Box

Click to download Soul Box Folding Instructions.

Click the video below to watch “How do I fold a Soul Box?”

Upcoming Soul Box-Making sessions: 

  • Tuesday, May 18, 1-2pm ET
  • Thursday, July 15, 7-8pm ET
  • Saturday, September 18, 11am ET

Smith Center will be organizing drop-off days and times to collect your completed Soul Boxes, as a part of our goal to create 500 Soul Boxes to add to the display at the National Mall on October 16-17, 2021.

About Soul Box Project

The Soul Box Project collects and exhibits thousands of hand-folded origami boxes to raise awareness of the U.S. gunfire epidemic. Each Soul Box holds space for one life lost or injured by gun violence, defense, accident or suicide.

About Friends of Oxon Run

Our Mission is to address the needs of conservation of natural resources and preservation of green space in Ward 8.

The Friends of Oxon Run (FOR) was formed in 2017 through an agreement with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The Friends group is the keeper of the entire park. The 501c3 organization is also responsible for fundraising to help improve the park for programming and a bathroom facility among other things. FOR works collaboratively with representatives from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation in an effort to populate the calendar of activities, improve safety, preserve green space and make the park a viable destination.

About the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

Art has the rare ability to mend social, psychological, and physical ills by building community, inspiring change, and celebrating life. Founded in 2008, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, is a nonprofit arts space in Washington, DC. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting fine art that explores the innate connection between healing and creativity. Through a rotating exhibition schedule, the gallery features contemporary artists that address a diversity of significant themes, including spirituality, social change, multiculturalism, health, environmentalism, and community.

About Smith Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program

The Artist in Residence Program (AIR) reflects the belief that the creative spirit can be found in all of us and can be especially helpful when the human spirit is in need. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (Smith Center) trains and supervises local visual, literary and performing artists who work directly with patients, caregivers and clinicians at INOVA Schar Cancer Institute (Inova Schar)

Artists in Residence guide arts-based activities that lead to stress reduction, self-awareness and self-expression. Patients and caregivers who participate often express great relief from pain and anxiety associated with their illness and are grateful for an opportunity to discover and explore what they can do. Heath care workers discover that creative self-expression helps to relieve stress that can lead to burnout and lack of resiliency.

About the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund

The Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund (TDJBCF) is a unique nonprofit grassroots organization whose mission is to advocate and improve the overall health and wellness for women and men through outreach, education and support. We promote early detection strategies for breast health and access to the best biomedical and evidence-based complementary therapies to reduce the incidences and mortality rates of breast cancer. Founded in September 2012 on the 60th Birthday Anniversary of Thelma D. Jones, the TDJBCF is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Our vision is to save lives and embrace and achieve a world community free of breast cancer. We plan to realize this vision with guiding principles of respect, collaboration, quality and patient-centered care, culturally sensitive approaches, and evidence-based strategies.

About the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly

Our Mission: To improve the quality of life for all residents; to open to every resident the wide cultural horizon of urban living; to help create rich and equal social, educational and economic opportunities for residents of Southwest DC; to assist in providing the opportunity for gainful employment for all; to promote development of the economic and aesthetic potential of Southwest; and preserve its diverse history. This mission shall be pursued without regard to the social, economic and racial barriers that have divided cities in the past.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Maude Fish & Bonnie Vermillion

This ongoing healing circle will focus on the unique needs that people who are living with Lymphedema face. No matter where you find yourself on your journey you will have a chance to be with others who share in your experience. This shared experience will often lead to profound learning and healing.

What is a Healing Circle?

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom.  Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Healing Circle for People Living with Lymphedema will be held Monthly on Thursdays from 6:00-7:00pm.

Upcoming Dates:

  • May 27

About Maude Fish

Maude Fish has performed classical music throughout the DC Metro area since she moved to Washington in 1988. Currently, she plays regularly with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, The Arlington Philharmonic, and the Tysons-McLean Orchestra. In prior years, she has worked with orchestras as distant as Roanoke, VA, and St. Mary’s, MD. She teaches piano and bassoon privately from her home in Chevy Chase, DC. She is no stranger to Smith Center having participated in a day-long writers retreat and yoga classes when she finished active treatment for breast cancer in 2004. Additionally, her chamber group performed at Smith Center at a gallery opening for the Alchemical Vessels Exhibit. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, cooking, knitting, and writing. She is married with two adult children, her dog Otto, and Cookie the Cockatiel.

About Bonnie Vermillion

I am a Cancer survivor/thriver since 1998 and have had lymphedema since 2002. I initially had so much trouble finding information on lymphedema that I went online and found an exercise program that was developed to maintain lymphedema. I became an instructor, then trainer, and finally acquired the program in 2014. I currently teach classes in central Virginia. I’m also a regional coordinator for Chronic Disease Self Management workshops, so actively work with small groups of participants for them to self-manage their chronic conditions. I am also a volunteer Ombudsman with the local Agency on Aging and a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association as a support group facilitator and speaker.

This program is being offered to support Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary. Participants are encouraged to donate $25 (or whatever amount you can afford) to support our work.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register using the button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

Featuring Charles Leighton, Laura Pole, Lorraine Washington, Lucia Effros, Rick Steinberg, and Jim Wilner. Hosted by Lisa Simms Booth.

Smith Center 25th Anniversary Conversation Series

The year 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. In celebration of this momentous achievement, we are launching a series of special conversations. Across the course of the coming year, members of our Smith Center family will join us to reflect upon Smith Center’s roots, examine its present programs and impact, and imagine what the future may hold for us at Smith Center and the larger world of integrative healing.

Our next collection of conversations, focused on Smith Center’s Signature Programs, will begin on Monday, May 10th from 6 – 7:30 pm (Eastern Time). We are excited to welcome a few of our core retreat alumni and staff: Charles Leighton, Group Leader, Laura Pole, RN, Chef, Lorraine Washington, Alumni, Volunteer Staff, Lucia Effros, Alumni, Volunteer Staff, and Rick Steinberg, Alumni, “Viking Group” , and Jim Wilner, Alumni, “Viking Group.” The panel will be interviewed by Smith Center’s Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth.

We hope you will join us for the conversations in this special series. Please feel free to circulate this announcement and share with others the details of this upcoming conversation.

Tickets for this event will be $25 and will help raise money for Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Fund.

Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Conversation Series will be hosted throughout 2021.

Selected Themes:

  • Visionary Leaders in Integrative Care
  • Smith Center’s Signature Programs
  • Participants’ Perspectives
  • Envisioning the Future

Tickets for each conversation will be $25.

Charles Leighton, LCSW

 

Laura Pole, RN, MSN

Laura Pole

Lucia Effros

Lorraine Washington

Rick Steinberg

Rick Steinberg

Jim Wilner

This program is now full. Please check back for future dates.

with Rick Black

In an online workshop, book artist Rick Black will lead participants through the steps of making a dos-a-dos book. Which, in short, is two books with one cover. This is simpler than you’d think to make. And it’s a great form that can capture two sides of a theme: sisters, mother and father, languages, politics, you name it. We will concentrate on the actual bookmaking but we are more than glad to help in terms of themes, etc.

We will be mailing the necessary supplies directly to you so you can complete your own dos-a-dos book. Registration will close on Monday, April 26th. 

This program is limited to 5 participants.

Suggested Donation: $20 (includes supplies)

About Rick Black

A poet, book artist and photographer, Rick Black is the founder and owner of Turtle Light Press, a small publishing company that specializes in handcrafted books, fine art prints and note cards.

In recent years, Rick has won several awards for his own poetry as well as books that he has published. He has given readings at the Library of Congress and elsewhere around the country. He often takes bike rides in the region and can be spotted taking photographs in and around Arlington, Falls Church, and Washington, D.C.

As he has gotten to know the area, he has begun turning his digital photos into artistic paintings – luminous, colorful and playful. His images have been selected to adorn the rooms of the Hilton Garden Inn in Falls Church. He has exhibited widely in the mid-Atlantic region and his work can be found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

For close to twenty years, he worked as a journalist, including a three-year stint in the Jerusalem bureau of The New York Times. He also has freelanced for numerous national newspapers and magazines, including The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and other publications.

To see more of Rick’s books or his artistic photographs, please visit his website: www.turtlelightpress.com

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Johnnette Armstrong

Groove Method is a delicious and fun group dance experience with simple steps and movement that nurtures the body, mind, heart and soul.
We invite you for one hour to move and connect with your body in a unique, authentic and cool way. Letting go of whatever is going on in your world, allowing yourself to be free and have fun moving your body.
Let’s get Grooving!

Body Groove will be offered Weekly on Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30pm ET. 

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/month

In addition, our yoga classes are listed with the National MS Society and we welcome patients and caregivers of those with multiple sclerosis to our gentle yoga classes.

Our programs are also open to the community, and tailored to meet the needs of people affected by cancer. Classes and workshops are free or low cost on a pay-as-you-can basis, ensuring that our programs are accessible to everyone.

About Johnnette Armstrong

Certified Personal Trainer, Herbalist, Pink Pilates instructor, Health Coach and a Groove Method Provider. I call myself a Wellness Advocate. I have worked in the fitness field for over 15 years and I currently offer classes at Hope Connections in MD, work with seniors, and offer one-on-one personal training.

After my own struggle with body image and self-esteem, I went on a journey to find out the healthy way to lose weight and feel better about myself. I discovered that there is no right way to wellness. We are all beautiful and unique individuals and over the years I have learned three important things for teaching and working with people:

  1. How to create a space where people feel good about themselves.
  2. The importance of accurate knowledge to take care of our bodies.
  3. And how to consistently move our bodies so that we feel good. 

After 15 years of working in this industry, I have found that there is more than one way to move our bodies. The most important thing is to find one that you enjoy. I am super excited to bring Groove Method to you. It’s a fun and simple way to move our bodies. The cool thing is, anyone can do it! 

My passion is helping people to create a wellness toolbox that works for the whole person. Thank you in advance for allowing me to share my passion with you!

Let’s get Grooving!

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Johnnette Armstrong

Groove Method is a delicious and fun group dance experience with simple steps and movement that nurtures the body, mind, heart and soul.
We invite you for one hour to move and connect with your body in a unique, authentic and cool way. Letting go of whatever is going on in your world, allowing yourself to be free and have fun moving your body.
Let’s get Grooving!

Body Groove will be offered Weekly on Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30pm ET. 

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/month

In addition, our yoga classes are listed with the National MS Society and we welcome patients and caregivers of those with multiple sclerosis to our gentle yoga classes.

Our programs are also open to the community, and tailored to meet the needs of people affected by cancer. Classes and workshops are free or low cost on a pay-as-you-can basis, ensuring that our programs are accessible to everyone.

About Johnnette Armstrong

Certified Personal Trainer, Herbalist, Pink Pilates instructor, Health Coach and a Groove Method Provider. I call myself a Wellness Advocate. I have worked in the fitness field for over 15 years and I currently offer classes at Hope Connections in MD, work with seniors, and offer one-on-one personal training.

After my own struggle with body image and self-esteem, I went on a journey to find out the healthy way to lose weight and feel better about myself. I discovered that there is no right way to wellness. We are all beautiful and unique individuals and over the years I have learned three important things for teaching and working with people:

  1. How to create a space where people feel good about themselves.
  2. The importance of accurate knowledge to take care of our bodies.
  3. And how to consistently move our bodies so that we feel good. 

After 15 years of working in this industry, I have found that there is more than one way to move our bodies. The most important thing is to find one that you enjoy. I am super excited to bring Groove Method to you. It’s a fun and simple way to move our bodies. The cool thing is, anyone can do it! 

My passion is helping people to create a wellness toolbox that works for the whole person. Thank you in advance for allowing me to share my passion with you!

Let’s get Grooving!